Often, companies conduct exit interviews when employees are leaving. These interviews are designed to find out the employee’s opinion about the operations of the company. But one problem with the exit interview is that it is after the fact, after an employee has already decided to leave, and so is of little use in retention efforts.
Because of this, some business experts are encouraging companies to conduct interviews similar to an exit interview while a person is still happily employed at the company. These are much more effective, they argue, in keeping employees.
There are many benefits of these interim interviews. They show the employee that he or she is valued, which is good for morale. They give management a chance to find out what is on a person’s mind. They are targeted – focusing on key employees who may at some point consider leaving. And management can take action on the information obtained in these interviews to address problems and concerns, and thereby increase retention.
In these interviews management can ask the employee specifically which aspects of the job he enjoys the most, and contribute to the person wanting to stay on the job. And they can find out what things contribute to the person’s commitment to the company.
Another question to ask would be whether the employee feels he is having an impact at the company, whether he feels he is making a real difference. Does the person feel that his job is making full use of his talents and knowledge? What more could the company do to make best use of the person’s abilities? Does the person feel that he is listened to, and does he feel he has a good working relationship with coworkers and managers?
If the employee were a manager, how would he improve the management of the company? Does the employee feel that there are opportunities for growth and development at the company? And, another important question: what factors might lead the employee to think about leaving the company?
All of these questions will help management develop usable insight into how key players feel about the company, and, most important, obtain this information while they can still act on it.
If you need to replace departing employees for your Anchorage, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Lake Oswego, or Chicago company, contact the recruiters at the Opti Staffing Group. We look forward to hearing from you.